Age estimation of belugas, Delphinapterus leucas, using fatty acid composition: A promising method
Abstract Data about age‐specific survival and mortality rate, as well as life history parameters are essential for studying population demography. However, noninvasive methods for ageing free‐ranging marine mammals are generally lacking. Recently, a few studies have highlighted the potential of usin...
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crwiley:10.1111/mms.12212 2024-09-15T17:59:04+00:00 Age estimation of belugas, Delphinapterus leucas, using fatty acid composition: A promising method Marcoux, Marianne Lesage, Véronique Thiemann, Gregory W. Iverson, Sara J. Ferguson, Steven H. Fisheries and Oceans Canada ArcticNet Centre of Excellence Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada Nunavut Wildlife Management Board Parks Canada St. Lawrence Action Plan University of Manitoba 2015 http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/mms.12212 https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fmms.12212 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/mms.12212 en eng Wiley http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor Marine Mammal Science volume 31, issue 3, page 944-962 ISSN 0824-0469 1748-7692 journal-article 2015 crwiley https://doi.org/10.1111/mms.12212 2024-08-09T04:28:35Z Abstract Data about age‐specific survival and mortality rate, as well as life history parameters are essential for studying population demography. However, noninvasive methods for ageing free‐ranging marine mammals are generally lacking. Recently, a few studies have highlighted the potential of using fatty acid ( FA ) composition in blubber biopsy samples to estimate age in some cetaceans. Here, we explore the opportunity of using this technique to estimate the age of free‐ranging belugas from three different populations. Belugas ( Delphinapterus leucas ) were sampled postmortem for blubber FA analysis and aged by counting the number of growth layer groups in teeth dentine. We found significant positive and negative relationships between some FA s and age. These relationships were stronger with outer blubber layer samples, the layer most accessible via biopsy, than with inner or middle layer samples, a pattern that is consistent with observed turnover rates and biological function across the blubber depth. The FA 12:0, 14:1n‐7, and 14:1n‐9 were promising correlates of age in belugas, allowing estimation of age with a precision of ±7–10 yr. Further work is required to determine the mechanisms underlying changes in FA composition with age and whether these mechanisms are stable through time and across populations. Article in Journal/Newspaper Beluga* Delphinapterus leucas Wiley Online Library Marine Mammal Science 31 3 944 962 |
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Wiley Online Library |
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English |
description |
Abstract Data about age‐specific survival and mortality rate, as well as life history parameters are essential for studying population demography. However, noninvasive methods for ageing free‐ranging marine mammals are generally lacking. Recently, a few studies have highlighted the potential of using fatty acid ( FA ) composition in blubber biopsy samples to estimate age in some cetaceans. Here, we explore the opportunity of using this technique to estimate the age of free‐ranging belugas from three different populations. Belugas ( Delphinapterus leucas ) were sampled postmortem for blubber FA analysis and aged by counting the number of growth layer groups in teeth dentine. We found significant positive and negative relationships between some FA s and age. These relationships were stronger with outer blubber layer samples, the layer most accessible via biopsy, than with inner or middle layer samples, a pattern that is consistent with observed turnover rates and biological function across the blubber depth. The FA 12:0, 14:1n‐7, and 14:1n‐9 were promising correlates of age in belugas, allowing estimation of age with a precision of ±7–10 yr. Further work is required to determine the mechanisms underlying changes in FA composition with age and whether these mechanisms are stable through time and across populations. |
author2 |
Fisheries and Oceans Canada ArcticNet Centre of Excellence Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada Nunavut Wildlife Management Board Parks Canada St. Lawrence Action Plan University of Manitoba |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Marcoux, Marianne Lesage, Véronique Thiemann, Gregory W. Iverson, Sara J. Ferguson, Steven H. |
spellingShingle |
Marcoux, Marianne Lesage, Véronique Thiemann, Gregory W. Iverson, Sara J. Ferguson, Steven H. Age estimation of belugas, Delphinapterus leucas, using fatty acid composition: A promising method |
author_facet |
Marcoux, Marianne Lesage, Véronique Thiemann, Gregory W. Iverson, Sara J. Ferguson, Steven H. |
author_sort |
Marcoux, Marianne |
title |
Age estimation of belugas, Delphinapterus leucas, using fatty acid composition: A promising method |
title_short |
Age estimation of belugas, Delphinapterus leucas, using fatty acid composition: A promising method |
title_full |
Age estimation of belugas, Delphinapterus leucas, using fatty acid composition: A promising method |
title_fullStr |
Age estimation of belugas, Delphinapterus leucas, using fatty acid composition: A promising method |
title_full_unstemmed |
Age estimation of belugas, Delphinapterus leucas, using fatty acid composition: A promising method |
title_sort |
age estimation of belugas, delphinapterus leucas, using fatty acid composition: a promising method |
publisher |
Wiley |
publishDate |
2015 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/mms.12212 https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fmms.12212 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/mms.12212 |
genre |
Beluga* Delphinapterus leucas |
genre_facet |
Beluga* Delphinapterus leucas |
op_source |
Marine Mammal Science volume 31, issue 3, page 944-962 ISSN 0824-0469 1748-7692 |
op_rights |
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1111/mms.12212 |
container_title |
Marine Mammal Science |
container_volume |
31 |
container_issue |
3 |
container_start_page |
944 |
op_container_end_page |
962 |
_version_ |
1810436014148157440 |